TOM MAYNARD MADE ME LAUGH, NOW HE'S MADE ME CRY by Mark Wallace (taken from the Western Mail, June 20)

I can't remember the last time I cried. It must have been as a child but I'll admit that sitting here contemplating writing this has the tears streaming down my face. I simply can't believe what's happened. Everybody at Glamorgan, and especially those within the team, are absolutely devastated by the news of Tom Maynard's death on Monday morning. I can't even begin to comprehend what Matt, Sue, Ceri and the family must be going through at the moment and our thoughts are with them and will be for some time. Tom may have ended up playing at Surrey but he never left Glamorgan in spirit, and he never will. It is just so tragic how someone with so much talent, so much potential and such an insatiable appetite for life can no longer be with us. As a cricketer the world was his oyster, he was at the start of an exciting journey where the possibilities for him were endless because he could play. Really play. He would have lit up the game with his touch of genius, he would have played for England and he would have returned to play at Glamorgan one day because he loved the club and he loved Wales. You always had the feeling that he was only ever away on business. Of course, as Matt's son, Tom was a fixture in the Glamorgan dressing room before he was out of nappies and, by the time I arrived there as a 17-year-old, he was part of the furniture. As the youngest player in the team he sort of gravitated towards me, telling me how my bats were a bit too light for him and my keeping gloves a bit too big. All this was accompanied by the mischievous smile that would stay with him into adulthood. I suppose he was like a little brother to a few of us for quite a while. Even then he had more confidence than I've ever had and, as he grew into a member of the first team in his own right, that confidence would turn into a natural presence that is gifted to very few. He was a leader from the moment he started playing and even as a youngster he had the ability to inspire those around him with an act of brilliance or a selfless deed for the team. And that was Tom, it never seemed to be about him. He sent me a message a few weeks back after I got a hundred against Leicestershire congratulating me on two things; first on making the century and secondly on getting out slogging for quick runs before the declaration. He was about the team first and nothing else. It was never about him off the field either and it's clear to see by the outpouring of grief, both within cricket and beyond, that his infectious personality has been felt by so many. Understandably tonight's Twenty20 game against Worcestershire in Cardiff was called off with the players having no appetite to play the game. Tom was a larrikin and a maverick at times – he loved it when I called him that – and realised that life should be for the living and shouldn't always be taken too seriously. As sportsmen we inhabit a world where we're guilty of placing far too much importance on things that, in the grand scheme of things, don't matter that much. What matters is the people, those that enhance our lives through the experiences we have with them and the times you share that will never be forgotten. While many will remember Tom for the outstanding cricketing talent he had, I will always remember him as the lad who could make me laugh more than anyone else I've ever met. I just wish he'd never made me cry. Rest in peace mate.

'BEAUTIFUL' MAYNARD HAD A 'HEART OF GOLD' (taken from the Surrey Mirror, June 21)

Jason Roy paid tribute to Surrey team-mate Tom Maynard, who died when he was hit by a tube train in the early hours of Monday morning. Roy regarded 23-year-old Maynard as one of his best friends and believed the Surrey professional was certain to have starred for England in the future.

"Tom definitely wasn't far off playing for England," Roy explained. "He was a huge talent. I've known him since before he came to Surrey, but once he was at Surrey we clicked, especially when we went on tour together to Bangladesh. Tom was such a beautiful guy and had a heart of gold."

Roy, who also plays for Reigate Priory, admits the Surrey squad are struggling to deal with Maynard's sudden death, with the batsman having played for the county's T20 side only hours before the accident.

"Tom and I were only on CricketAM together on Saturday, which doesn't seem that long ago at all," Roy said. "At the moment I'm at Rory's (Surrey captain, Hamilton-Brown) family house and we have just been chatting about it all. It is shocking, I just can't believe it's happened. I feel bad for all his family in Cardiff."

Matt Spriegel, who knew Maynard for five years, believes the charismatic batsman's death will leave a hole in the Surrey squad.

"When I received a call from Surrey team-mate Gary Wilson with the news I went numb, I just couldn't comprehend it," Spriegel, who also plays for Banstead, explained. "A group of us from Surrey all met up in Clapham at a cafe and talked for hours, telling stories about Tom. He was a big character. I just can't imagine walking into the dressing room and him not being there."

Spriegel believes Maynard was not a talented cricketer, but also wise beyond his years. "It sounds strange for me to say this as I'm two years older, but I looked up to Tom," Spriegel said. "He was always someone you could talk to whether it be about cricket or just things that were going on. He was the life and soul of the party, but also just a brilliant guy. No one had a bad word to say about him. We are all devastated, but I can't even begin to think what his family must be going through."

Surrey team director Chris Adams also paid tribute, saying he was an "amazing person" and that it was a "privilege" to have known him.

He said: "Tom was one of the most exciting players I have ever seen and it has been my privilege to have spent time as a coach with such a special talent. Perhaps more importantly, Tom was a truly amazing person and personality, whose mere presence would just light up any room. He will be sorely missed on every level, but at the moment my thoughts can only focus on the sheer loss for his family and close friends. My thoughts are with them."

THE HOOK REPORT (taken from the Surrey Mirror, June 21)

I had the privilege of meeting Tom Maynard a number of times. In addition to being a great talent, with a bright career ahead of him, he was, more importantly, a top bloke. He was one of life's good guys, which makes the news of his death all the more difficult to come to terms with. Tom leaves everyone at Surrey with so many memories. He hit four centuries, two of which not only remedied first innings ducks, but were as breathtaking as any hundred the county game has borne witness to in recent times. Perhaps his most crucial knock came in the final championship game of last season, when Surrey not only had to win in order to clinch promotion, but also needed to secure maximum batting points. Without Maynard's 123 on the opening day, the latter might well have been a step too far for Rory Hamilton-Brown's men, who finished just one point ahead of Northamptonshire, who had topped Division Two for much of the campaign. The first time I saw Tom, he could only have been a year or so old. Glamorgan were playing Surrey at the Oval and his father, Matthew was pushing him around in a buggy. I always meant to share that recollection with Tom, but never got around to it. That's how it goes sometimes. You never know what the future has in store. My condolences go out to his family, who must be absolutely shattered by what has happened. I pray they get through it. When I think back to the memorial services for Graham Kersey and Ben Hollioake, I won't ever forget the heartbreak etched on the faces of their families. My thoughts also go out to everyone at the Oval who knew Tom and held him close to their hearts.

Gerry Sexton photographing Tom Maynard. Surrey CCC Press Day - 9 March, 2012

TOM MAYNARD 1989-2012 by Marcus Hook

Like his career at Surrey, Tom Maynard's life was tragically short. However, in just eighteen months, he had become an integral member of a reconstructed side, a Surrey side that was beginning to emerge from the shadows of the team, under Adam Hollioake, that had so dominated county cricket a decade earlier. Tom Maynard might only have scored 1,657 first-runs runs, including four centuries for the Oval outfit, but he averaged 42.48 - significantly above par for a player of his age - and had taken a number of outstanding catches in the slips cordon. Maynard also punched above his weight in the shorter forms of the game. With batting averages almost touching forty for Surrey in both one-day and T20 cricket, his was one of the brightest talents on the county circuit. His call-up for the England Lions tour to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka earlier this year was testament that the England management had started to sit up and take notice. It is often easy to overplay the talents of one lost so prematurely, but not in Tom's case. It wasn't a question of whether he would play for England, it was simply a case of how many times he would step on to the international stage.

Had circumstances been different, Maynard might never have become a Surrey player. Glamorgan was in his blood. His father, Matthew had both captained and managed the Welsh outfit. When they won the County Championship in 1997, an eight-year-old Tom snuck into the victorious team photograph, taken on the outfield at Taunton, the day the title was secured. Ten years later, at the age of eighteen, Maynard made the first of 94 appearances for Glamorgan, repaying the faith shown in him immediately by hitting 71 off 75 balls in a one-dayer against Gloucestershire.

Surrey had been on the wrong end a number of times when he made hay with the bat, but the final straw, so to speak, came in July 2010 when Tom hit an unbeaten 78 off 43 balls, including five sixes, to turn a T20 clash at the Oval on its head. Five months later, Maynard asked to be released from his Glamorgan contract, citing the club's treatment of his father, whose position as director of cricket had been rendered untenable. At the time, Tom was quoted as saying: “I have my Glamorgan number tattooed on me. That is how much it means to me. I only ever thought I would want to play for Glamorgan. But I no longer feel I can stay at Glamorgan while the current people are in charge."

When Tom was given clearance to talk to other counties, his first thought was Surrey, where one of his best friends, Millfield schoolmate Rory Hamilton-Brown, was captain. Maynard said: "I got on the phone to Rory and I asked if Surrey would be interested. He was very keen to have me, which was fantastic." At the club's press day in April 2011, Tom was certain he had made the right move. He said: "You just get a massive boost when you come to the Oval every day. It's a bit indescribable. Everything about the place is special."

Maynard already had a brace of one-day hundreds on his CV, but a first-class century had eluded him. He said: "Both of my hundreds have been in a losing cause, so it would be nice at some stage to get a hundred and win the game." Tom finally got his wish at the end of the season when his third first-class hundred, an inspired 123 against Derbyshire on a turning pitch, set-up the victory Surrey needed to win promotion back to Division One in the County Championship. Tom Maynard's innings is over, his bat is laid down, but perhaps it is fitting that the records will forever state that he played the same number of first-class matches, 24 apiece, for Surrey and Glamorgan.

TRAGIC TIME MEANS WE WON'T DWELL ON TWENTY20 FAILURE by Mark Wallace (taken from the Western Mail, July 11)

It's been a pretty tough few weeks so I'm sure you'll forgive me for the absence of this column over the last fortnight. Tom Maynard's death still hasn't really sunk in for a lot of us and I'm not sure it ever will. The funeral was a very emotional occasion as the cricketing world and beyond came out to show their respects and support Matt and the family during such a terrible time. Speaking at the ceremony the former Glamorgan and England opener Hugh Morris remarked that: "You could select a pretty good team from the people in attendance today." Had Morris been able to see out of the packed Llandaff Cathedral he may well have realised that there was a pretty decent side to be selected simply from those standing there in the rain. The Cathedral simply wasn't big enough for Tom's popularity. I was honoured to be asked to speak and thankfully managed to hold it together OK, while the other speakers and all those in attendance did Tom and the family proud. Tom's death will, no doubt, have a lifelong effect on some people and, though the day was incredibly sad, it was as much about celebrating life as mourning a tragic loss. Our CB40 fixture against Surrey at The Oval on August 21 will now be a memorial game for Tom. What's happened has certainly brought the two sets of players closer together and, having shared such an experience, there will certainly remain a connection between the two clubs in the future. I think Tom would have liked that.

TOM MAYNARD'S FAMILY STILL NEEDS CRICKET'S SUPPORT by Steve James (taken from the Daily Telegraph, August 21)

It is an item of sporting kit I wish I had never had to wear. The Lycra cycling jersey is predominantly white with black trimmings. The generous sponsors are well represented on it. On the jersey's left arm is the daffodil of Glamorgan with the number 33 below. On the right arm is Surrey's Prince of Wales badge above the number 55. Across the back are the words: The Tom Maynard Trust.

This afternoon 30 of us, including Tom's father Matthew and Andrew Flintoff, all wearing those jerseys, will arrive at the Kia Oval, having left the Swalec Stadium in Cardiff early Monday morning. Hopefully we will arrive in time for the start of the Clydesdale Bank 40 match between Tom's two former counties, Surrey and Glamorgan, that will act as a tribute to him, as well as the launch of the trust.

It will be emotional. Of course, it will. Both teams will wear shirts bearing Tom's aforementioned squad numbers. Before the match Matthew will receive a posthumous Surrey county cap for his son. There will be a presentation to the first three beneficiaries of the trust, David Lloyd of Glamorgan, and Matthew Dunn and George Edwards of Surrey.

The trust will help not only young cricketers but other sportspeople who require assistance in aspects of their career development. The response so far to its setting up has been remarkable. I have seen Matthew a couple of times in recent weeks as we trained for the cycle with our friend Ian Williams, who has organised the ride. With mention of every new piece of generosity, Matthew has just uttered the word "Jeez" and shaken his head. He has been overwhelmed by the kindness and support.

It is now just more than two months since Tom's death at the age of only 23. It is still as incomprehensible as it was then; a wonderful cricketing talent taken from us so tragically early. But as I wrote at the time of his death, more tragic is that a wonderfully likeable young man has been lost.

Last week Matthew gave his first interview since Tom's death. I know how difficult that was for him. He worried how he might cope. He was not sure whether he should do it. But he wanted to say thank you. He did more than that. He gave an unforgettably moving interview to Peter Jackson, the former rugby correspondent of the Daily Mail who was presenting BBC Radio Wales's Back Page programme. I listened to it on the way to Lord's for day three of the third Test. I was still wiping tears from my face as I walked from Paddington Station to the ground.

"The amount of letters that we've had shows how he turned out as a really great bloke," Matthew said. "There can be nothing more rewarding for a parent knowing that your lad's turned out like you hoped them to." Indeed. Like all of us, Tom had his faults, but he possessed something granted to very few: charisma. With his humour and selfless good nature - but also his seriousness about cricket at the appropriate times - he single-handedly altered the culture of the Surrey dressing room. He always led the team victory song. Since his death the wins have understandably been rare, but the tears have certainly flowed when they have come. "I've been amazed at the impression Tom obviously made on people in such a short time," Matthew told me last week.

But, of course, the grieving continues for him, his wife Sue and daughter Ceri. It is an unimaginably dreadful situation for any family. This week they will all journey to South Africa, where last winter Matthew enjoyed such a highly successful first season as coach of the Nashua Titans. His team won the four-day SuperSport series, as well as the MiWay T20 Challenge, which means they will play in the lucrative Champions League in October. Little wonder that he was named Cricket South Africa's coach of the year. How he will cope no one knows, least of all Matthew. All we, as the cricketing family, can do is continue to support him and his family. This cycle is only the start.

Details of the Trust can be found at: www.tommaynardtrust.com

'HE WAS IN THE DRESSING ROOM SINCE HE WAS BORN, DRAGGING HIS LITTLE BAT AROUND' by Lucy Bannerman (taken from The Times, August 25)

On August 21, Matthew Maynard spent the evening at the Kia Oval, being bear-hugged by friends, colleagues and cricket stars. Andrew Flintoff slung an arm around him and patted him on the back. Stewards in orange jackets squeezed him sympathetically on the shoulder. Countless others crowded round, offering gnarly handshakes and pressing cards filled with kind words into his palms. It was his first day at a cricket match since the death of his son, Tom. As he thanked all those who had come to watch the one-day game being held in Tom's memory, only his pride was preventing him from tears.

"I watched a little bit at the start, but it has been tough," he said, staring with bloodshot eyes at the cricket pitch, where Tom's team, Surrey, were playing the Welsh Dragons, his former Glamorgan team-mates. Reminders of the rising star, and the international career for which he seemed destined, were everywhere. "At the moment, the memories are making us cry, but I'm sure in time they will make us smile."

After standing for a minute's applause Mr Maynard accepted a posthumous county cap on his son's behalf, and a shirt bearing the number that the club has now retired in his honour. "It's an incredible gesture. And they don't just give away caps at Surrey. I'll treasure that... "For a moment, it seemed as if he wanted to say something else, but didn't.

Beyond the glass doors of the corporate box, where we were sitting, men in sunhats were drinking pints. Every so often, a cheer erupted as a wicket fell. His attention drifted towards the pitch. It was at 5.10am on a June Monday that the body of his 23-year-old son was recovered from the tracks of the London Underground District Line. Almost an hour earlier, police officers had spotted his black Mercedes being driven erratically near Wimbledon, South London. When they stopped him, he ran off. No one has been able to explain why.

"We know he had had a few beers," his father said. "The thing about Tom, he was usually bloody good at making the right decision. I think that showed with his cricket. As it was developing, he was making a lot more good decisions, but for some reason, he decided to get into... I guess he decided to go and see his girlfriend." Struggling to keep his composure, Mr Maynard pressed his fist against his lip. "There's no blame involved," he said, steering himself back on course. "There's no blame. We just can't believe he would do something like that."

The last 50 minutes of Tom's life remain unaccounted for. Once the police officers gave chase, their dogs soon lost track of the cricketer. "That, probably for me, is what I've been thinking about - those 40, 50 minutes. Why was he running from the police? What was going through his mind? How did he feel? Was he scared? Nervous? Obviously we heard he was hit by the train and that causes all sorts of things to go on in your head. Then we learnt that he was electrocuted and that he wouldn't have felt anything."

Having been brought up in an area, where there are no such live rails, he doubts that particular danger would have crossed Tom's mind. "Of course, in South Wales we don't have that. He would just never have thought of it..." His voice weakened, but he carried on. "We've been told it would have been quick." He clicked his fingers. "Boom. It would have been instant."

He dismissed suggestions that as his son's career blossomed he started partying harder, too. "Dean Conway [the former England physiotherapist] said he was training fantastically. When the guys went out, he would be on the Coca-Cola. That's why the drink-driving really surprised me. Very rarely would he have one beer and drive. Because we live in Pentyrch, a village, taxis home are 35 quid. If he was going out, he wouldn't have drunk, so he could drive back."

For the next eight months, Mr Maynard's wife, Sue, and their daughter, Ceri, will join him while he coaches in South Africa. As he was leaving, I asked him about the new tattoo on his forearm: "I'll lend you for a little time..." A poem by Edgar Guest, he said. He stood up straight and recited not just the next line, but the next two verses.

"I'll lend you for a while a child of mine, For you to love the while he lives, And mourn for when he's dead." I was about to respond, but he carried on: "It may be six or seven years, Or twenty-two or three, But will you, till I call him back, Take care of him for me?" He attempted a half smile, shook my hand, and excused himself to return to the box next door, where there was laughter and beer and the cold comfort of cricket.

On the day of Tom Maynard's death, Twitter.com reflected the grief of the cricket world. Here are just a handful of the tweets posted within 24 hours of the dreadful news:

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